With all the recent hoopla we’ve gotten over Chick fil-A (deservedly so), let’s not forget about a far worse organization in terms of practices to their own employees and open discrimination.

I received the following letter today and I thought I’d share….

Mark –

I loved my job at the Salvation Army. I’ve spent much of my life working for Christian organizations, and it made me feel great to work to help poor people. But last week, I was fired because I revealed my sexual orientation.

The Salvation Army has great social service programs that help so many people, but I was uneasy about the organization’s policies about sexual orientation. My unease grew more serious when I heard about an Australian Salvation Army official who was forced to apologize after he said that gay people deserve to die.

So I went to my supervisor to express my concerns, and in the process, I came out as bisexual. That was a Friday afternoon. On Monday morning, I was fired — and I was told explicitly that I was losing my job not because of poor performance, but because my “personal beliefs and position do not 100% align with the values of the Salvation Army.”

After I was fired, I was so angry at the Salvation Army. But this past weekend, I walked by a homeless man who asked me for help. I went into a restaurant and bought him some pizza, and sat and talked with him for a while. He made me realize how much I miss my job, and how devastated I was to leave my clients.

The sad truth is that now, instead of worrying about my clients, I have to worry about whether I’ll be able to provide for my own daughter.

I know that petitions on Change.org have prompted major companies — like DynCorp, a giant military contractor — to offer employment protection to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender employees. I hope that if enough people sign my petition, we can convince the Salvation Army to do the same.

About

Mark Cosenza is a freelance writer with over 15 years of experience covering the world of TV, Music and News. Check out his latest articles and views in the entertainment industry. Follow him on Twitter @xwiseguyx